


All For A Cup of Coffee

by DragonxFox



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Coffee, College, Humor, M/M, Starbucks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-25
Updated: 2013-10-09
Packaged: 2017-12-27 14:23:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/979956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonxFox/pseuds/DragonxFox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared wants a cup of coffee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration came from this [post](http://dragonxfox.tumblr.com/post/60907766956/tylenold-there-was-a-really-cute-barista-at) .

Jared’s eyes travel just about everywhere as he walks through the crowd of students. He can’t even begin to differentiate who’s been there longer, because he got himself in a full year earlier, and the guys are all wearing simple tees or sweaters over jeans, making him feel right at home already. The girls, so far, are wearing everything from shorts to dresses to jeans, and somehow everybody still looks different than the kids he saw at high school.

He’d finished moving in about a month early, because that’s what you’re supposed to do out here, apparently, so he’d gotten used to walking around the area. He barely has to think about it as his feet take him away from the campus and towards the closest Starbucks around.

It’s a little past four in the afternoon and his first set of classes weren’t so bad. And if Matt, his roommate, didn’t have his girl over almost every other day, Jared might head home to relax for a bit, but, well, Matt’s girl was kind of loud, and he didn’t feel all that comfortable looking at her when she walked out of Matt’s room with her hair still a wreck.

So he’d gone to a few coffee shops in the area and, to his surprise, the Starbucks had the least amount of students there. It was probably the prices, but it worked out. He could get his coffee fix and internet access when he needed. He could also pull back from his books and just watch people hurriedly ordering before running off.

Today, though, was just full of surprises. A lot of students got jobs on and around the campus, but the newest barista made Jared stop abruptly. The guy behind him made an annoyed sound and Jared apologized, feeling himself flush even more as he got even closer.

It didn’t make sense for Jared to feel intimidated, though, and that just made his mind whirl even faster when there was only one customer standing between him and the barista. The guy was shorter than him, but he was smiling at how awkward the customer in front of him was and that, more than anything else, made Jared palms sweat.

And then it was his turn. Which meant that he stood there, face flushed and trying his best not to look even more stupid than he was sure he already did because, not only was the barista smiling at Jared’s discomfort, he also had the most green eyes Jared had ever seen.

“What can I get ya?”

“Um, I, uh,” Jared started, moving closer to the register and fumbling for the wallet that should have been in his back pocket, “damn it.” He looked up, hating himself for saying that out loud, and said, “Hi, can I have a Starbucks?”

“Sure,” the barista replied, his smile reaching his eyes now, “we’ve got plenty of Starbucks here.”

“Yeah, I know, I mean, can I just get a Red-Eye, please?”

The barista nodded and picked up a cup. “And your name?”

“Jared.”

Again, the barista nodded, and Jared decided he would never come back here. That he’d rather watch Matt and his girlfriend stumble into the bathroom, even with the stupid smiles on their faces, than come back here. Except, when he patted his pockets, he found his wallet in the front right instead of the back ones. So he was about fifteen different types of mortified by the time he got to stand off to the side while someone else made his drink.

That someone else, apparently, was Chad – the guy Jared had expected to ring him up, because that’s what he’d done before the semester had started. Instead, Chad, done making the drink, held it up and said, “Starbucks, one Red-Eye for Starbucks.”

When Jared approaches, Chad looks surprised. “Oh, hey Jared.”

And, really, Jared couldn’t help turning towards the newest barista when he started laughing. His eyes crinkled, just the tiniest bit, at the corners, and Jared wanted to hate him. Wanted nothing more than to walk out with his drink and not come back, ever, but when he reached for his drink, the barista winked at him.

Which made Jared nearly drop his drink, making the barista laugh even more. He barely managed to not crash into the person walking in when he reached the door.

He was never coming back, damn it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omfb, i have no idea what im doing im so sorry


	2. Chapter 2

It’s been a month now, and Matt still brings his girlfriend over every other day. Jared’s finally managed to talk to him about how awkward it gets, but Matt’s apologetic smile strikes something in him. Because, up until now, he hadn’t noticed that Matt’s eyes also crinkle when he smiles, and the realization startles him so much that Jared stands abruptly, face completely flushed, as he excuses himself.

Matt tries asking Jared why he reacted that way a few days later, but Jared’s a master at avoiding conversations he doesn’t want to have, and they end up talking about some random party that Matt was going to on Friday. Jared tries politely turning him down when Matt invites him to tag along, but that plan fails entirely when Matt confesses that Jared’s the first roommate he’s ever invited to a party.

So, he agrees, then goes to his room and pulls out his books. Friday is two days away, so he stays up until nearly two in the morning studying for a quiz and getting a little ahead in his other classes.

He stumbles back into his dorm around three, and stumbles right back out. Because, normally, he gets home around four or five and, normally, Matt and his girlfriend do everything they do in Matt’s room. Except, Matt didn’t say he was going to have his girlfriend over today and there was no sock or tie on the front door and Jared’s rushing down the stairs to get some fresh air as fast as he can.

His backpack’s an uncomfortable weight on his shoulders as he walks, a little too quickly, nearly crashing into a dozen people, towards the coffee shop that’s normally empty. And it is, actually, when he gets there.

He refuses to make eye contact with anyone, especially not the barista who’s eyeing him a little funny when he mumbles his order.

“Sorry, you said you wanted a Red-Eye, right?”

At Jared’s nod, the barista charges him and Jared’s ridiculously grateful to find his wallet in his back pocket like it normally is that he lets out a nervous laugh.

“I didn’t scare you _that_ much last time, did I?”

Shocked, Jared looks up. “I, you, what?”

And the barista is staring right at him, smile a little crooked as he writes something on the coffee cup.

“But at least you got to the right place to ask for Starbucks, right?”

“Ok,” Jared starts, feeling more than a little frustrated with the flush staining his cheeks, “but I did remember the name of what I wanted.”

“Sure you did, Starbucks.”

Jared shuts his mouth and takes a deep breath, trying to keep himself from getting into an argument with the eye-crinkling, crooked-smiled man in front of him when Chad calls, “Red-Eye for Starbucks.”

“My name is _not_ Starbucks!”

Which, of course, gets the barista to start laughing. And Jared is absolutely done with this place. He’s not even sure why he came back here, really, because he’s been hiding in the library for the past month or so instead of coming here, but Matt and Mandy were a little too enthusiastic and in his need to get as far from them as possible, he’d ended up in front of the stupidly green-eyed man once again.

He grabs his cup from Chad, who looks both confused and amused at Jared’s declaration, and goes to the counter to add all the cream and sugar he wants. Because he’s not storming out of here with a cup too bitter for him to entirely enjoy with the sound of the barista’s laugh following him out the door this time around.

He hesitates for a bit and, very sullenly, walks to the other side of the room, nearest the bathrooms and furthest from everyone else with his cup and backpack. There are plenty of empty stools and he chooses one with a plug closest to him.

Not once does he look towards the barista. He very determinedly pores over his books and laptop, ignoring the feel of eyes on him, even when his cup is empty. And, sure, he wants to go get another cup, but the barista is still there, joking with nearly every customer that comes in and Jared kind of hates that it bugs him, just a little bit.

It’s almost eight when he gets up from his seat, keeping all his stuff in one giant pile, and runs towards the barista.

“Oh,” the guy says, smile a little awkward now, “hey, man. Another Red-Eye?”

And Jared just stands there for a moment, staring at him, because now he feels like he bullied the stupid guy for joking around with him. But that’s not right, because he’d bound to start smiling at any second and then Jared’s going to feel even more stupid for falling for that ploy.

He clears his throat, lets out an awkward laugh and scratches the back of his neck, suddenly aware that it’s been more than a few seconds of him standing there quietly, watching the dude, and, seriously, he needs to stop coming here.

“Yeah, actually, but, um, three shots in there this time, please.”

The barista nods, writes it on the cup, and then pauses, looking back up at him.

“So, what’s your name, Mr. Not-Starbucks?”

“Jared.”

“Alright, I’ll actually write Jared.”

And Jared laughs when the barista shows him that he did, in fact, write his name on the cup.

“So, uh, can I ask what yours is?”

“You can, yeah.”

Jared swallows at the nervous lump in his throat, scratches the back of his neck again.

“Ok, what’s your name?”

“Dunno,” the barista says with the crooked smile Jared’s growing a little too used to, “but I’ll try remembering it. Pretty sure it’s not Starbucks, either, though, so we’ve got that in common.”

This makes Jared laugh, the flush crawling back up his cheeks, but he’s kind of getting used to that, too. He wanders over to where Chad’s eventually going to give him his cup, staring at his feet instead of the strangely entertaining barista while he waits.

“Triple shot Red-Eye for Starbucks,” Chad says, before looking at Jared nervously and mumbling, “I mean, for Jared.”

And Jared, really, really isn’t sure why he’s surprised to find his name nowhere on the cup. He also isn’t sure what to do when he walks back to his stool and the barista coughs to get his attention.

“Come on,” he says around a laugh, “that’s comedy gold, man.”

It takes everything in Jared to calmly put the cup down, away from everything he has spread on the table, and lay his head on it, willing that god-awful flush to either kill him or go away indefinitely.

Later, when he’s packing his stuff, he finds a napkin with a name on it.

 ** _Jensen_**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first rpf, should i continue this?


	3. Chapter 3

Jared didn’t do so well at parties. Matt kept coming back to check on him, introducing him to nearly half the people there whenever he remembered he’d brought Jared with him, but he was losing his focus more and more as he continued to drink.

It wasn’t so bad, really. He was on his fifth drink now and he could feel the smile on his face. There were some interesting people here, because, as far as he knew, it wasn’t a costume party, but there were a few wearing masks.

“Jay, man, I’m gonna go.”

Jared turned towards Matt, his head tilting as he processed the words.

“Ok?”

“Yeah, Mandy, dude, Mandy’s so pissed.”

And for some reason, that made Matt laugh. Laughing was easy though, and Jared laughed, too.

“Wait,” Jared said, putting his hand on Matt’s shoulder when the man turned to leave. “I’m gonna go pee, then we can go. You can’t drive like that.”

“Dude, our dorm is four blocks away.”

“Yeah, but you drove here.”

“Ok, go piss. No driving.”

Nodding, Jared bumps into three ridiculously drunk people before making it to the right hallway. The light in the bathroom is on, and Jared knocks on it, more loudly than he probably should, but it’s the only bathroom he knows of in this place.

He thinks a minute passes and he tries the knob, nearly falling inside because he didn’t expect it to be unlocked. There’s two men in here, one of which looks towards the unexpected noise and groans as his eyes meet Jared’s.

They’re grinding on each other, Jared realizes, his hand tightening on the door handle. The dark haired man has his face buried in the other’s neck. Jared’s shocked, mouth hanging open as those green eyes, usually filled with mirth whenever Jared’s around, stay on him as the other man’s hips hitch into his.

“I, uh, sorry.”

He stumbles back out, through the throng of people, face burning as he finds Matt staring at his phone with a smile on his face.

“Jay!”

“Let’s go home.”

It’s all Jared says for the rest of the night, but Matt’s too far gone to notice. He just fills Jared in on how sweet Mandy is, even though she’s still upset that he went out without her. And Jared tries to pay attention, he really does.

But those green eyes, pupils blown wide, haunt him until sleep takes him away.

 

* * *

 

This time, he waits almost a week before going back. It’s going to be different, he knows. But maybe, just maybe, he’ll be able to concentrate more now since the barista will probably do his best to ignore him.

He tells himself this all day.

Except, when he goes in, the barista isn’t working. Oh no, of course not. Instead, Chad takes his order, writing his name down and having someone else hand it to him. No joking happens in all this and Jared feels a little strange as he pours cream and sugar into his drink.

He’s headed to the secluded area of the shop when he spots him.

 ** _Jensen_**.

The barista is talking to the manager, though, completely unaware of the six foot four gangly moose who can barely breathe anymore. He’s wearing a leather jack and well-worn jeans, nothing major, but it reminds Jared of the bathroom. Reminds Jared of how wide the barista had spread his legs for the other man.

And he’s shaking his head, scattering the memory when those green eyes land on him. Jared stops moving, fingers twitching uselessly on his cup, as those eyes look him up and down before going back to the manager in front of him.

He can feel his legs again, his lungs filling with too much air as he turns away, bee-lining straight for the door when his phone rings. He pushes the door open, finding his phone, only to curse as the beginnings of rain start to hit him.

“Hey, Jay, you ok?”

“Yeah, fine, just started raining. What’s up?

 “Oh, was just about to say that the room might be a little busy tonight, but-”

“Fine.”

“Jay, man, if it’s raining I’m not gonna ask you to stay out.”

Jared sighs, turns back towards the coffee shop. “No, it’s fine. I’ll be home around eight, though.”

“Thanks, man.”

“Yeah, you owe me.”

Matt laughs as he hangs up.

It’s so much warmer inside that Jared relaxes almost immediately. He picks a random cushioned chair and opens his backpack, trying to decide what to study first, when someone’s shoes stop in front of him. His brow furrows as he looks up, doubting it’ll really be the barista.

“Hey, Starbucks.”

And the smirk Jensen gives him is way dirtier than Jared ever remembers.

“Um,” he says.

“Yeah, I know the feeling.”

Jensen sits on the arm rest of the chair, looking at Jared as if they’ve been friends a long while. And Jared’s tempted to laugh, he really is, but his drink’s getting colder so he reaches for that as he stares at the confusing barista.

“Name’s not Starbucks.”

“There we go.”

The barista as he smiles at him, his eyes crinkling, just the tiniest bit, and Jared has to look away because he can feel his cheeks beginning to burn. It’s different now, with the flush staining his cheeks.

“Anyway, what’s with you being such a nerd with the books, Starbucks?”

“It’s called homework. Usually given to students when they’re going for some type of education.”

“Lame.”

It takes him a minute to calm down. Because, really, he’s not going to rise to the bait.

“How come you’re not on the clock?”

“Damn, haven’t even taken me out and already harassing me about my work schedule?”

“I wasn’t, I mean-”

“Come on, geek, let’s get out of here.”

Jensen got up and was walking towards the door when Jared managed to get his backpack on right, his coffee cup threatening to spill itself everywhere if Jared wasn’t more careful.

“Wait, but-”

“Doesn’t matter, come on.”

And for some reason, Jared listened. It was really pouring now, but Jensen got into an old muscle car parked right in front. Jared hesitated with his hand above the handle, only to find Jensen looking at him through the glass with an annoyed look on his face.

He opened it, catching Jensen’s, “Sheesh, such a frickin’ girl,” as he started the engine.

“Not a girl,” Jared mumbled, struggling to buckle up and not drop his Red-Eye.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Starbucks.”

“Bitch.”

“Jerk.”

Jared couldn’t help the laugh that came out of him. He could feel Jensen’s eyes on him as he drove and still, it took him a bit to calm down.

“So why am I in your car?”

“Dunno,” Jensen said with a shrug, “but being in my baby beats walkin’ around in the rain, right?”

“Your baby?”

“Yeah, the car you’re in, nerd. As in, if you spill anything in here, I will skin you.”

“Right,” Jared says, hiding his smile by chugging the remainders of his drink.

Jensen turns on the radio and Metallica plays. Neither of them say anything and Jared finds himself relaxing a little, staring out the window until they pull on to a familiar street. He turns to Jensen, mouth hanging open, as the man pulls into the garage and kills the engine.

“What?”

“You, but-”

“Full sentences, Starbucks. I know you can string ‘em together.”

“My name isn’t Starbucks.”

“That’s basically the only sentence you know, isn’t it?”

“No, it’s not.”

Jensen watches Jared fuming in the passenger seat and laughs.

“It’s not funny,” Jared mutters, face flushing red again.

“Oh, I don’t know, man, seems pretty funny to me.” He tilts his head a bit, licking at his lips and smiles at Jared, the smile mocking Jared more than any of the other ones he’s seen so far. “Let me guess, didn’t know who’s party you went to last week?”

At Jared’s angry silence, Jensen shrugs and gets out of the car.

“Come on, Not-Starbucks, pretty sure I still got food in the fridge.”

Taking a deep breath, Jared follows him into his home. It’s not as awkward as he thought it would be until he spots the hallway. Swallowing, he finds Jensen in the kitchen, humming something under his breath as he opens and closes different pantries.

“So, uh-”

“Full. Sentences.”

“Yes, I heard you the first time.”

“Good,” Jensen says, turning to smile at him. “Figured you’d get the hang of it sooner or later.”

“Where’s, your, uh, boyfriend, though?”

Jensen shrugs and pulls out a bag of popcorn. “Nonexistent, still. Want some?”

“Sure, yeah, ok.”

“Almost a full sentence there.”

He counts to ten in his head, balancing his backpack, and looking for a trashcan when Jensen snaps his fingers.

“Dude, drop the bag over by the couch. Trash’s by the door. Stop bein’ such a girl.”

“So, what, you call everyone a girl even though-”

Jared stops, eyes wide. Jensen’s staring at him, daring him to finish, but Jared doesn’t want to, didn’t mean to, really. He backs out of the kitchen, still holding his empty coffee cup, and takes off his backpack, dropping it on the floor like he was told. He sits on the couch’s arm rest, hiding his face in his hands.

He can barely hear the microwave over the sound of his heart, of his blood rushing through him, leaving him both hot and dreadfully cold. He’s got to apologize, there’s nothing else for him to do.

But when he looks up, Jensen’s right there. And Jared can see just how angry he is, too. Before he can say anything, Jensen pushes him, hard, and he falls back on the couch. Jensen’s there in a second, sitting on the edge of the couch, keeping Jared pinned in between his two arms, leaning in, eyes darker than Jared’s ever seen before.

“You wanna finish that?”

Jared manages to swallow as he stares up at him, mumbling, “No, I’m sorry,” over and over until Jensen rolls his eyes and gets back up.

He comes back with a bowl of made popcorn and two beers, staring at Jared, who hadn’t moved a muscle since he’d left.

“Wanna move over?”

“I, uh, yeah, sure, sorry. Maybe I should-”

“Shut up,” Jensen says, reaching over Jared’s lap for the remote. “ _The Searchers_ is on, man.”

And that’s how Jared finds out how much of a geek the barista is. Because, the movie, quite honestly, is an old western, and Jensen knows almost every line. By the end of it, he’s not sure if Jensen’s love for old western’s is scarier than his quick temper, but the grin Jensen shoots him when he gets up to leave doesn’t have any lingering anger.

It’s a start.


End file.
